Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of November 21st

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of November 21st

Multi Generation Family Celebrating Thanksgiving

Holiday Advisory:

The Office for the Aging and all OFA Friendship Centers are closed on Thursday, November 24th (Thanksgiving).

OFA Friendship Centers are also closed on Friday, November 25th, but the OFA central office in Poughkeepsie will be open on the 25th.

Dutchess County government observes Christmas Day on Monday, December 26th; and New Year’s Day on Monday, January 2nd, 2023. Offices and Friendship Centers will be closed both days.

Clients of OFA’s Home Delivered Meals program will receive meals in advance of each day that friendship centers are closed.

HOLIDAY SCAM PREVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS AND OLDER ADULTS (Part 1 of 2)

This season of family holiday gatherings is a great opportunity to ensure that older adults aren’t victimized, and a reminder to younger people not to be complacent about their odds of being victimized as well. People are looking forward to getting together with loved ones; on top of that, they’ve got shopping on their minds, with the added worries that supply-chain issues might mean they can’t find that special something for that special someone, or that an essential flight might be cancelled.

Worried? Anxious? That’s exactly what the scammers want from you, and this is the time of year when scammers ratchet up their efforts to steal your personal and financial information. They’re expecting you to slip up. Let’s make sure you don’t.

DON’T BELIEVE THAT UNBELIEVABLE BARGAIN

The ad you see online seems to offer a fantastic deal, and to grab it you’ll just click on that Amaazon.com link and…back up. The extra “a” there isn’t a typo. It’s a fake website, trying to harvest personal information and credit card numbers, both now and later, thanks to malware they may try to sneak onto your device.

AVOIDING KNOCKOFFS

Visit a flea market and you can find anything from unique, locally handmade goods to sketchy counterfeit items. Shopping online, even at major sites like Ebay and Amazon, can be like that sometimes. In response to the flood of knockoff merchandise online, many major brands have severed relationships with third-party retailers and now sell only through their own websites. If you need the genuine article and can’t find it locally, go to that brand’s website first.

BEAT THE SCAMMERS: SHOP LOCAL

The idea of holiday shopping from home may appear convenient at first but weigh that against the risk of being dissatisfied, if not outright scammed. Instead, shop local. Use the technology at your disposal, whether it’s Google or word-of-mouth, to find what you’re looking for, often from a merchant in Dutchess County. At a local store you’ll see exactly what you’re buying, which is often of higher quality than mass merchandisers’ offerings. Your customer service experience is likely to be more favorable given that the business owners and their customers are likely to be friends and neighbors. You help support local businesses and invest in your community, and you’ll even get some exercise in as you walk from store to store.

 

In next week’s column, we’ll help you avoid the scams that arise around the end of every year, when the new year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment kicks in.

 

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone 845-486-2555, email: ofa@dutchessny.gov website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging

VOLUNTEERING OPTIONS FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

Many of us have family traditions of volunteering on Thanksgiving Day; however, it’s also a national holiday and the Office for the Aging and Dutchess County offices are closed on Thanksgiving.

If you can volunteer before or after Thanksgiving weekend, especially in our Nutrition division, please contact OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov.

For volunteering on Thanksgiving Day itself, consult your local house of worship. In the City of Poughkeepsie, packaging and delivering of Thanksgiving Day meals will be taking place at the Family Partnership Center (29 North Hamilton St.) from approximately 9am to 1pm. For more information, contact Paula at 845-546-9271.

THANKSGIVING DRAMA-CONTROL TIPS

It may have been a while since your last in-person Thanksgiving celebration, so let’s review a few tips to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

  • Keep realistic expectations. Things won’t always go according to plan. Embrace imperfection. Relax.
  • Put down the devices and turn off the electronics. Make a “no-electronics” rule at special meals and gatherings.
  • Keep a sense of humor. Laughter, humor, and a positive attitude are contagious and can cover a multitude of sins.
  • Be a giver, not a taker. Listen more than you talk. Give more than you get. Kindness and generosity build happiness and reduce stress.
  • Be flexible. Traditions change as families expand. Roll with the changes and remember that it’s about people and sharing, not rituals.
  • Avoid touchy topics. Steer clear of topics that lead to arguments. If you can’t do that, then practice tolerance. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
  • Forgive and forget. The holidays are the perfect time to free yourself from the burden of old grudges. Forgiveness is liberating and a gift to both the forgiver and the forgiven.
  • Try not to seat Giants fans next to Cowboys fans. (Kickoff is at 4:30.)

2023 COUNTY BUDGET TOWN HALL FORUM – ONE LEFT (Tue 11/29)

The 2023 Executive Budget was accompanied this past week by a budget address from County Executive Marcus Molinaro. You can find out more about the ’23 budget at this link. The complete budget proposal is a lengthy document, which you can read here to get more detail. The section of the executive budget concerning OFA services and plans for 2023 and beyond is on pages 38-39.

One in-person public forum was held last week; a second is scheduled:

Tuesday, November 29th, 6 pm
In-Person Town Hall

East Fishkill Town Hall
330 State Route 376, Hopewell Junction

LIONS / DUTCHESS COUNTY USED EYEGLASS DRIVE – ENDS MONDAY 11/21

The Dutchess County Division of Solid Waste Management invites you to donate eyeglasses in usable condition at several County offices buildings listed below. Donated glasses will be given to the Lagrange Lions Club, as a donation to its international campaign, Recycle for Sight, which benefits those in need. This collection event, which runs through November 21st, complements the County Clerk’s ongoing collection of eyeglasses at the Department of Motor Vehicles offices in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Millbrook, and Wappinger.

You’ll find a collection box at the following locations, and we thank you in advance for your any donation(s) you can make.

Dutchess County Office Building              

22 Market St

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Dutchess County Planning Dept.              

85 Civic Center Plaza #107         

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601                                                                         

 

Dutchess County Division of Solid Waste Management

96 Sand Dock Rd.

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601


Office for the Aging

114 Delafield St

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Eastern Dutchess Government Center

131 County House Rd.

Millbrook, NY 12545

Beacon Center

223 Main St.   

Beacon, NY 12508

Other news:

Older people are more susceptible to the flu; here’s why.

If you haven’t locked in your Medicare coverage options for 2023 yet, and can’t get to the Office for the Aging for a HIICAP counseling appointment, here’s the link.

A new University of Michigan study finds that over half of adults between ages 50 and 80 are themselves caregivers for older adults.

Turkey fryer safety can be difficult. Perhaps choose another method or let a professional do it.

The bacteria that cause leprosy, one of the oldest known diseases, may have the ability to regenerate liver tissue.

This week’s birthdays:

11/20: President Joe Biden (80)

11/21: NBA Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (78)

11/22: Tennis legend Billie Jean King (79)

11/23: Former MLB pitcher Luis Tiant (82)

11/24: Drummer/songwriter Pete Best (The Beatles, for a little while) (81)

11/25: Former Yankees infielder Bucky Dent (71)

11/26: Pro Football Hall of Famer Harry Carson (NY Giants) (69)

And a Thanksgiving Bad Joke!

Q: What was the turkey thankful for on Thanksgiving?

A: Vegans.

Author: Harlem Valley News